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Gen. Andrew J. Goodpaster was one of the leading soldier-scholars of his time. He was one of the key figures during the Cold War - one who stood among the dominant American military and political personalities of those times. Later, he restored the integrity of West Point during a major ethical crisis. Few military men of his generation have been both “warriors” and “thinkers,” yet Gen. Goodpaster qualifies to be among that select company. He was a dedicated cold warrior throughout his active duty military career of nearly forty years. Nevertheless, he was also a sophisticated observer and commentator on the foreign policy and national security scene for nearly a quarter-century thereafter. None of his contemporaries established so clearly the efficacy of effective policy planning and execution as did General Goodpaster, having served General Dwight Eisenhower in establishing the international military component of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and then serving President Eisenhower as his Staff Secretary. From his relatively humble origins, he achieved the highest international military command assignment possible – as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR). Upon his final retirement and for over a quarter-century thereafter, he was actively involved both the formal and informal world of Washington policy-making, making his mark repeatedly as a respected participant.

“Many military personnel have gone on to serve with great distinction as politicians and policy-makers. This tradition is especially well established in the US, where a military background is beneficial to those running for office and excellent preparation for working in the policy arena. It is, however, much more unusual to find a military man or woman who has been so thoroughly involved in policy and politics whilst still in uniform. Andrew J. Goodpaster was such an individual: his life and work, described and analysed in a new biography by Robert S. Jordan, are noteworthy because of his role in the early stages of the Cold War and for the volume’s analysis of a military man in a policy setting. Jordan draws on an impressive array of research, ranging from papers scattered in various presidential libraries across the US to interviews with Goodpaster’s contemporaries, some of which are included in the book as highly readable appendices.”

—RUSI Journal, April/May 2014

“General Goodpaster’s leadership style was understated and quietly focused—he led by persuasion, by rational discourse, and by unfailing courtesy and consideration for others. These traits made him both an essential White House assistant and confidant to President Dwight D. Eisenhower and a successful Supreme Allied Commander in NATO. Professor Jordan has written an eminently readable, account of the career and accomplishments of General Goodpaster, for which I, for one, am very grateful.” —Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft, USAF (Ret.), National Security Advisor to President Gerald Ford and President George H. W. Bush

~ Praise for An Unsung Soldier ~

“The book is filled with pages of well-organized and well-documented information…An Unsung Soldier is not a book to be read quickly with a light touch; the wisdom within merits time for reflection….The final thoughts about the general in the concluding pages are worth the price of the book.”

–Vietnam Veterans of America

"Jordan is to be lauded for bringing to light the extraordinary career of one of the Army's most accomplished officers."

— ARMY, December 2013

“General Andrew J. ‘Andy’ Goodpaster, USA, was a person who defied the cliché ‘soldier statesman’ by actually being one, as well as being a consummate organizer, diplomat, humanist, and friend to so many. He is ably served by his biographer. Professor Jordan has long been both a scholar of international organizations and a leading practitioner of international administration, including the diplomatic and military aspects of NATO. He also has published excellent biographical studies of the political and military leadership of NATO and the United Nations.” —Robert E. Hunter, former U.S. ambassador to NATO

“There was no doubting Goodpaster’s professional standing as a man with a distinguished record of military service during the Second World War and the Cold War. Moreover, he had what many of his contemporaries lacked at that time: serious intellectual credentials in the form of a PhD from Princeton. . . . General Goodpaster set a career example for many of us in the security analysis business, both military and otherwise.” —Robert O’Neill, former director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies and Chichele Professor of the History of War at Oxford University

“Robert Jordan burnishes his reputation as a distinguished NATO scholar with his biography of Gen. Andrew J. Goodpaster. He has situated him as a leader among the many able Supreme Allied Commanders in NATO’s history. Goodpaster’s role in establishing NATO’s military dimension encompassed a wider range of activities than those of his colleagues, including Gen. Lauris Norstad, a subject of the author’s earlier study.”—Lawrence S. Kaplan, Emeritus Director of the Lemnitzer Center for NATO Studies, Kent State University

Robert S. Jordan has doctorates from Princeton University and from Oxford University, where he was a member of St. Antony’s College. He served as Director of Research for the U.N. Institute for Training and Research. He was a Distinguished Professor of Strategy and Policy at the U.S. Naval War College, and has published widely on Cold War alliance policy, coalition maritime affairs, international administration and military biography. He is the author of many books including Alliance Strategy and Navies: The Evolution and Scope of NATO's Maritime Dimension, Europe and the Superpowers: Essays in European International Politics, and Norstad, A Cold War NATO Supreme Commander: Airman, Strategist, Diplomat. He lives in Woodbridge, VA.

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AN UNSUNG SOLDIER

Gen. Andrew J. Goodpaster was one of the leading soldier-scholars of his time. He was one of the... Read More